The Austrian quartet Synesthetic4 was founded in 2017 by Peter Rom and Vincent Pongracz. Their debut album Pickendem won the German Record Critics’ Award, and in 2024 the ensemble was awarded the first Austrian Jazz Prize.
Their fourth studio album, „Bread“, is now being released. Bands that collaborate over an extended period and regularly release music often face the question of whether to venture into new territory, delve deeper into familiar themes without repeating themselves, or simply deliberately repeat themselves.
Synesthetic4‘s last album, “Ahwowha” (2023), was compositionally clearly an uncompromising, conceptual deepening of ideas that had already surfaced in their debut album Pickedem, with a strong focus on post-production. This gradual intensification of themes is clearly broken with Bread.
Vincent Pongracz’s compositions offer a breath of fresh air by distancing themselves from internalized structures and established concepts, placing complete trust in groove, feeling, and simplicity of ideas without imposing conceptual constructs on them.
With these new pieces, Pongracz takes the risk of sounding naive. During the recording, emphasis was placed on making music together. The four musicians played together in a room without click track or headphones.
Line-up:
Vincent Pongrácz — Clarinet, Vocals
Peter Rom — Guitar
Manuel Mayr — Bass
Andreas Lettner — Drums
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About Synesthetic4
Synesthetic4 is an Austrian jazz quartet founded in 2017 by clarinetist and composer Vincent Pongrácz and guitarist Peter Rom. Known for their fearless musical explorations, the group moves fluidly between intricate compositions, free improvisation, and genre-bending grooves.
Their debut album Pickedem won the German Record Critics’ Award, marking them as one of Europe’s most exciting contemporary jazz ensembles. In 2024, they were honored with the first Austrian Jazz Prize, further cementing their reputation for innovation and artistic depth.
With each release, Synesthetic4 redefines its sound. From the conceptual depths of Ahwowha to the raw, organic energy of their latest album Bread, the quartet keeps pushing boundaries while staying deeply rooted in the joy of collective music-making.
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